An Upper Pine River Fire Protection District fire truck rolled Friday morning north of Bayfield, trapping one person inside, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
The crash occurred about 10:45 a.m. in the 6000 block of County Road 501, north of the entrance to Forest Lakes subdivision.
The driver of the tender truck, Jeremy Morris, 33, a Bayfield resident and Upper Pine employee, was reacting to a vehicle in front of him that was losing control on the snowy road, said Trooper Sierra Ziegler.
Morris lost control of the tender truck and veered to the west side of the road. The tender truck spun 180 degrees and rolled onto its side, hitting a fence and a tree. The crash crushed the cab of the vehicle and trapped Morris inside.
In a news release issued Friday night, Upper Pine Fire Chief Bruce Evans said the water tender was responding to a controlled burn out of control when the driver braked for a vehicle in front of him. That sent the truck into a skid, resulting in the rollover crash.
The roads were icy and snowpacked at the time, Evans said.
Morris has completed several courses and a certification exam for driving the machinery, he said.
“I am thankful he was wearing his safety belt,” Evans said in the release. “This guy is expecting his first child in a few months, and I am glad he walked away from this and is not leaving a new baby without a father.”
Upper Pine Fire responded with an extrication team to remove him from the vehicle. He had no visible injuries but was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center as a precaution. He was released from the hospital as of Friday afternoon, Ziegler said.
Morris received a careless driving citation for over-correcting the vehicle and driving too fast for the snowy road conditions.
“Drive with caution and just speed according to the conditions,” Ziegler said. “It’s always best to not make any erratic movements in snowy conditions or in reaction to other drivers.”
Both lanes of County Road 501 were open to traffic as of 3 p.m. Friday.
smullane@durangoherald.com
